Bringing Conservation Heroes To Light

Over 100 people working on the conservation of animals and the environment are killed around the world every year just for doing their job. Many more work under the threat of harm, persecution, or death.

Jairo Mora Sandoval was one such person. He worked tirelessly to protect sea turtles in Costa Rica. In 2013, at the age of 26, he was brutally murdered by local poachers.

Acknowledging the struggles and perseverance of our colleagues that work under threat is an important part of raising the profile of conservation in parts of the world where it is needed most. This is why the Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB Marine) has launched the Jairo Mora Sandoval Bravery Award.

This award honours Jairo’s commitment to marine conservation by providing support to others working to protect the marine environment despite the threats that they may face. The Award is given for bravery associated with an outstanding contribution to the field of marine conservation, with particular emphasis on responsible and educated scientific endeavour, public engagement and conservation activism. It may be given for a single conservation action or for an entire body of work (i.e., a series of linked contributions).

The award, given every two years, includes a cash prize of $1,000 to allow these courageous people to continue their work. However, we’d like to honour more people for their bravery in the service of conservation. To do this, SCB Marine is looking to raise $5,000 to support more Jairo Award recipients.

The Jairo Award not only provides visibility to these conservation heroes, but also much-needed financial support to important conservation programs. However, we can only do so much with the available funds. With your help we will be able to make a difference in more areas and let more of those struggling to study and conserve the environment know that they are not alone. Help us bring conservation heroes to light!